Julio Lopez competed in his first tennis tournament Saturday in one of the most relaxed possible settings.

Lopez, a senior at Bluffton High School, took on classmate Morgan Philoxene in the first round of the boys 18-and-under division of the Bluffton Today Open at Palmetto Bluff. The duo traded friendly banter throughout the match, which Philoxene won 6-1, 6-1 to advance to Sunday's final.

“I just started playing tennis around Christmas, hitting the ball around with friends,” Lopez said. “I’m getting better, but I’m still not as good as these other guys.”

After their match, Lopez and Philoxene enjoyed a few games of bocce while they waited for the next round at the Wilson Lawn and Racquet Club.

Lopez’s experience is what the Bluffton Today Open is all about for founder Bob Brown, who designs the event to feature quality competition and give less seasoned players a chance to get their feet wet in a tournament setting.

Several of the age groups, which range from 12-and-under to 18-and-under, are divided into beginner and advanced divisions.

With only four players in the boys 18-and-under group, there was no beginner division for Lopez to enter. But if there had been, he said, he would have taken his chances against the best players anyway.

“I usually give them a good run,” Lopez said. “I can stay with them.”

The tournament concludes Sunday with singles and doubles finals in most divisions starting at 9 a.m. One champion was crowned Saturday morning when Caldwell Tarleton beat Patrick McAuliffe in the boys 12-and-under Division 1 final.

After seven years at Bluffton High School, the event has a new home at Palmetto Bluff. Warren Florence, the resort’s tennis director, has taken over for Brown as tournament director with plans to make it a United States Tennis Association-sanctioned event next year.

With 76 players signed up, Brown said registration increased by about 15 percent this year.

Proceeds from the tournament go to support Bluffton public tennis projects and the Bluffton Today Open Scholarship, which provides $500 each year to a college-bound, tennis-playing boy and girl who live in Bluffton. All money from the event’s silent auction and adult-child doubles tournament go to a junior benevolence fund, which helps junior players in need of lessons, transportation and equipment.

“We’re proud to be a part of the tennis community, especially when we have players here representing Bluffton, Savannah, Hilton Head and Beaufort,” Florence said.

Philoxene, a starter on the Bluffton High boys team, welcomed the change in venue. He said he prefers playing on Palmetto Bluff’s clay courts to the hard courts at the high school — not to mention the water, towels and other amenities the resort offers players.

This is the second Bluffton Today Open for Philoxene, a junior who picked up tennis his freshman year. He said he lost both of his matches in last year’s 16-and-under advanced division.

Comments are welcome, so long as they are civil. A Facebook account is required. Abuse may result in the commenter being permanently blocked. Personal attacks are strictly prohibited. We reserve the right to remove any comments at any time.